A Note from Pastor Keith
March 26, 2000
Every now and then it is my turn for dinner: the time when it's my responsibility to make sure dinner is taken care of for our family of six. Thankfully, this does not mean I have to actually cook. However, occasionally when I take a break from ordering out for pizza or serving up a delicious meal of Cocoa Puffs, I break down and cook.
During these times I have made a delightful discovery. Dinner gets done faster and looks better and cleanup is much more efficient if I just do everything myself. When I do it that way, though, it feels like a burden and a chore. I can just imagine the chorus of women saying right now, "Poor Keith."
On the other hand, when I let my girls help and delegate tasks to them, we make a huge, cluttered mess, it takes a lot longer (although we sample along the way), it's inefficient, and it doesn't look as pretty-but we actually enjoy making dinner! It is fun for all of us, and the girls feel special because they helped their Papa.
I think about that when I wonder why God allows us to be a part of His work on earth. Couldn't He just do it quicker Himself and not worry about our mess? C.S. Lewis writes these insightful words about why God allows us to do His work: "He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye. Creation seems to be delegation through and through. I suppose this is because He is a giver."
God is a giver because He is a lover of our souls. Being a part of God's work doesn't have to be a chore but a joy of relationship between us and our Abba Father as we get to participate in His will.
In His service,
Pastor Keith
|
This site is maintained by David Gaddis. You can reach him via e-mail at dwgaddis@teleport.com |